'beyond frustrated' with delays to work on cardiff's st david's hall

ST DAVID'S HALL HAS BEEN CLOSED SINCE SEPTEMBER 2023 19:22, 01 Feb 2025 Delays to work on Cardiff's St David's Hall has left a cabinet member "beyond frustrated".

Cardiff Council's cabinet member for culture, sport and parks, Cllr Jennifer Burke, was asked by the Liberal Democrats group leader at the council, Cllr Rodney Berman, why certain

committees hadn't received updates on work to fix the music venue. St David's Hall had to close in September 2023 after it was announced that it contained a type of lightweight

concrete prone to sudden failures as it ages, called reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). The venue will need to have its roof replaced and it was originally expected to be open

again by 2025, but there are still no visible signs of any work taking place. It is now expected to reopen in autumn or winter 2026. Cllr Berman asked Cllr Burke at a full council meeting on

Thursday, January 30, "Why do we keep getting further delays?"__ The last update on St David's Hall was in August 2024, when members of Cardiff Council's economy and

culture scrutiny committee were told that the venue might not reopen until 2026. At that meeting, scrutiny committee members, which included Cllr Berman, heard how the listed building

consent, which is needed for work to commence, still hadn't been applied for by Academy Music Group (AMG). AMG, which operates music venues across the country, has signed an agreement

for a lease to run St David's Hall. At full council this week, Cllr Berman said the economy and culture scrutiny committee was still waiting for an update on remediation work. _For more

Cardiff stories, sign up to our newsletter here_ Cllr Burke said that council officers are working closely with AMG on the work programme for the building and that when she has an update

for councillors, she will provide it. She added that she is "beyond frustrated" with the current situation. Cllr Berman said: "We did get an update actually just at the end of

last week to the governance and audit committee and we were told that the conditions of the agreement for lease are likely to be satisfied by May 2025 following completion of the planning

process, which means the building will transfer only to AMG at that time and that means of course only then will AMG... be able to start on the work and that will take 18 months." Based

on this information, it would mean that St David's Hall would likely open in autumn or winter 2026. Cllr Berman said: "It is interesting that that update was able to be provided

to the governance and audit committee, but it has not been provided to other committees. Why are we not giving full information out to all councillors to make sure that all of this is out in

the open?" Article continues below Cllr Burke said: "I share your frustrations and I don't think I am betraying any confidences when I tell you that I have been very clear

and firm with both he leader and the chief executive to relay my frustrations in their conversations to AMG. I am sure that planning applications are expected imminently and that... part of

the issue has been that costs have gone up because of the extent of the RAAC. "That has now been signed off internally with the AMG board. They have been cautious in terms of the

details that they shared. As soon as I can share something I absolutely will and I have been clear with officers, the leader and chief exec that I am beyond frustrated with the current

situation."